'Israel' killing women, children in Gaza at historic pace: NYT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The New York Times
25 Nov 2023 15:57
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The rate at which people are being killed in Gaza surpasses even the deadliest periods of US-led attacks in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.

A grieving father carries the body of his own baby who was killed after an Israeli airstrike bombed the Gaza Strip on October 25. (AP)

"Israel" has "justified" civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip as an "unfortunate but inevitable aspect of modern warfare," drawing comparisons to the heavy human toll seen in past US military wars in Iraq and Syria.

However, an analysis of previous wars and discussions with casualty and weapons experts suggests that the current Israeli aggression is distinct. Even with the inherent challenges in determining wartime casualties, experts argue that a conservative interpretation of the reported figures from Gaza reveals an unprecedented pace of death compared to previous conflicts in this century.

The rate at which people are being killed in Gaza surpasses even the deadliest periods of US-led attacks in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, which faced widespread criticism from human rights organizations.

The shocking aspect is not only the relentless scale of the Israeli strikes—numbering over 15,000 before a recent temporary truce—but also the nature of the weaponry employed. The extensive use of large-scale weapons in densely populated urban areas, including 2,000-pound bombs of US origin capable of demolishing entire apartment towers, has shocked some experts.

“It’s beyond anything that I’ve seen in my career," remarked Marc Garlasco, a military advisor with the Dutch organization PAX and a former senior intelligence analyst at the Pentagon, to The New York Times. When searching for a historical parallel to the deployment of numerous large bombs in such a confined area, he suggested one might need to look back to events like Vietnam or the Second World War.

Unprecedented pace of killings: Comparing civilian casualties in Gaza to previous wars

In contrast to wars in this century, where US military officials deemed the standard 500-pound American aerial bomb too large for many targets in urban areas, the Israeli bombardment in Gaza stands out.

Researchers estimate that around 10,000 women and children have been reported killed in Gaza, with international officials and experts attesting to the reliability of these figures.

The pace of killing during the Israeli campaign has been notably high, with more women and children reported killed in Gaza in less than two months than in comparable periods of wars in Ukraine and Iraq.

The use of larger bombs in Gaza, targeting underground infrastructure, exceeds those used by the US in cities during its devastating wars on Iraq and Syria. The small size of Gaza, coupled with closed borders, limits safe places for civilians to seek refuge, resulting in extensive damage to buildings and a high civilian death toll. Israeli forces' use of extremely large weapons in densely populated areas is described as the worst combination of factors by experts.

International experts, who have collaborated with the Gaza Health Ministry during various Israeli aggressions, emphasize the Ministry's reliable method of gathering death figures through hospitals and morgues.

While cautioning against immediate declarations following a strike, the cumulative death tolls reported by the Gaza Health Ministry are generally deemed accurate.

Amid the current genocide, with hospitals under direct fire and the health system disrupted, reporting the killed has become more challenging. Nonetheless, even before these obstacles arose, the reported deaths of women and children in Gaza exceeded those in comparable wars.

The notable statistic that women and children make up nearly 70 percent of reported deaths in Gaza, despite most combatants being men, is described as extraordinary by experts. Israeli officials, in "justifying" their actions, have referenced historical events, including World War II and the development of modern international laws of war. The laws, established in response to World War II atrocities, emphasize the protection of civilians during wartime and outline regulations regarding military targeting and civilian casualties.

'Israel' evokes WWII rhetoric for justification of genocide in Gaza

Amid the ongoing aggression on Gaza, Israeli officials have delved deeper into historical references to "justify" their atrocities. When questioned by international journalists regarding civilian casualties in Gaza during a press briefing on October 30, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referenced a British bombing raid from nearly eight decades ago that resulted in the deaths of children.

“In 1944, the Royal Air Force bombed the Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen. It’s a perfectly legitimate target. But the British pilots missed and instead of the Gestapo headquarters, they hit a children’s hospital nearby. And I think 84 children were burned to death,” he said.

“That is not a war crime. That is not something you blame Britain for doing. That was a legitimate act of war with tragic consequences that accompany such legitimate actions,” he added.

The bankrupt Israeli officials have been incorporating references to more than just the history of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle or the 2001 attacks on the United States that initiated the alleged "War on Terror." They now draw parallels to one of the most catastrophic wars in human history: World War II.

The Israeli occupation forces have dropped 1.5 times the force of the atomic bomb dropped on #Hiroshima in World War II on #Gaza since October 7.#GazaGenocide #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/8lQlK14a2Y
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 2, 2023

The genesis of contemporary international laws of war primarily stems from the atrocities witnessed during World War II. Formally established in 1949, the Geneva Conventions outlined safeguards for civilians in times of war. While international law does not outright forbid civilian casualties, it mandates that military forces refrain from deliberately targeting civilians or engaging in indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas. Additionally, it emphasizes that incidental harm and the loss of civilian lives must not surpass the direct military advantage sought.

Since the commencement of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, more children have been killed in Gaza than in all the major war zones worldwide combined over the entirety of last year, encompassing approximately two dozen countries, including the war in Ukraine, as reported by verified child death tallies from the United Nations in wars.

The Government Media Office in #Gaza reported on Thursday evening that the number of Palestinians killed at the hands of Israeli occupation forces since the start of the Israeli aggression has reached more than 14,854, including more than 6,150 children and 4,000 women.

The… pic.twitter.com/ca32Ufc47m
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 24, 2023

The threat persists beyond the immediate bombing, with experts noting that the aftermath of war leaves people grappling for survival long after the aggression concludes. The devastation, particularly to healthcare systems and water supplies, poses significant ongoing public health risks, highlighting the prolonged challenges faced by communities.

Professor Crawford, a researcher with the Costs of War Project, emphasized as quoted by The New York Times that while such challenges are inherent in every war, the scale of suffering in Gaza within a brief timeframe is exceptionally difficult to grasp.

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